Chapter 105 Echoes Of Death

• The first scream did not come from panic.
• It came from surprise.
• A sharp, broken sound that cut through the low hum of generators and the murmur of voices inside the shelter, abrupt enough that for a heartbeat no one understood what they had heard. Then the sound came again — closer this time — followed by shouting, boots pounding against concrete, and the unmistakable metallic clang of a security gate slamming shut too late.